Nonextruding expansion joint



Original Filed 00 t 2 8 1 9 45 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 IN VEN TOR. ALBERT C. FISCHER RNEY ATTO Dec. 25, 1951 c, FISCHER 2,580,163

' NONEXTRUDING EXPANSION JOINT Original Filed Oct; 28, 1943 2 SI-IEETS- -SWET 2 IN VEN TOR. ALBERT C. FISCHER ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 25, 1951 U N I T ED S E S PATENT O'FQF ICE NONEXTRUDING EXPANSION JOINT Albert C. Fischer, Chicago, 111.; Wallace CLFischer and Cecile G. Fischer, executors of said Albert C. Fischer, deceased, assignorsto Servicised Products Corporation, a corporation of .Iil-inois Serial No. 139,176

3 Claims. (craters) This invention relates to a method of and a paratus for joining spaced elements, particularly structural elements such as pavement sections or slabs.

This case is a continuation of application Serial No '508;027 which was a division of my application .Serial No. 122.833., filed'danuary :28, T937, and issued June "I3, 1944, as Patent N0.'2',351,25'5.

"The present invention proceeds upon the :princlp'le :of joining relatively movable structural :elements through the intermediary of a filling medium in such a way that the joint between the elements remains tight :despite any movements which the elements experience. Although the invention disclosed herein is of particular utility in the joining ofpavement sections or slabs which experience expanding and contracting movements in accordancewith temperature variations, it may as well he applied to :any other field of structures in which similar problems are vencountered. In the present art of roadway construction, pavement sections are separated :by a filling medium which permits expansion :of the sections with seasonal variations. However, when once expansion has :taken place, the "filling medium extruded from thejoint betweenthe sections and flows upon the roadway in all directions. When the pavement sections contract there is no longer available the sealing medium which was placed in the joint'or'iginal'ly, and dirt,

moisture, and foreign matter enter the joint with their consequent deleterious reflects. :It is the primary object .of the present invention to provide arrangements permitting a storage of the filling medium which normally is extruded from the joint for return thereto open the contraction of the juxtaposed structural elements. The :filling medium may be fluid, semi-fluid, or plastic material, subject to cold :flow with or without the imposition of pressure, :as well :as various inherently compressible materials, as longas it is capable of entering :into the storage space provided :therefor upon the expansion of the struc, tural elements and flowing .therefromrupon their -returntmovement.

It "is a :further object 20f my invention to provide -..novel transloading arrangements between adjacent pavement sections in order to .produce a roadway having a longli-fe without deteriora-- tion.

It is a;further object :of :my invention to pro vide transloading arrangements in expansion joints of :a pavement embodying features :for

maintaining substantially constant the volupanslon joint despite variations in the width of the expansion joint occasioned by the expandin and contracting movements of the pavement sec-f tions. 7

Other objects and purposes will appear from a more detailed description of the invention following hereinafter, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is .a vertical sectional view of an expansion joint between two adjacent structural elements such as pavement sections;

Fig. 2 is .a perspective view of a pair of the space defining elements --.Within the expansion -jointshown in Fig. 1; I I

Fig. .-3 is a vertical sectional view of an expansion joint embodying another tormof the inyention including .a transloading -devicc;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view along line 4 4-of Fig.3.;

Fig. 5 is a-plan view of a pavement-embodying alternately arranged transloadingelements of the type illustrated-in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 16 is a vertical sectional view of a varia tion of the arrangement shown in Fig. .3";

Fig. is a vertical sectional view of a different embodiment of the invention showing the po- .sitioni-ng of the parts when the joint/is extended as --a result of the contracted condition of the pavement sections;

Fig. -8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the positioning of the/parts when the expansion joint is narrowed as a result of the expanded condi tion of thepavementsections; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of cooperatin elemen-ts associated with the pavement sections as ShOWIlTi'H Figs. Tend 8.

Fig. ,-1 ofthe drawings the structural mem- I bers, which may consist of concrete, are designated by e and -e',- having a ,gap therebetween, which is adapted to be filled Joy-a suitable filling medium aoapable of yielding to the expanding and contractin movements of the sections e an e'.-. heretofore an .expansion -ioir.1t of. this type was filled with a plastic medium atthetime-of construction .of a roadway or analogous struc ture, which proved satisfactory until expanding movements of the juxtaposed-sections occasioned =an extrusion .of the filling medium from the joint which-was lostiorevor therefrom .by virtue-of the tendency of this filling {medium .to flow or pass away v from the joint along lines-of least resist-- ance. Therefore. upon a return .of the elements .e and ac" to, their orig nal position, on insuficien :amountof the fillir egayerise-to iointsandspace into-which entered sands-shit water, and other.

undesirable foreign materials. The present invention obviates these difficulties by providing an expansion joint between two structural members which automatically adjusts the volumetric space between the structural members for all relative positions thereof, so that provision is made for accommodating the filling medium without its extrusion from the joint. This is generally accomplished by apportioning the space between the structural members into void spaces containing no sealing medium and filled spaces, and by adjusting the relative dimensions of such void and filled spaces in accordance with the movements of the structural members to maintain the volumetric capacity of the filled spaces substantially constant.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the above obiects are reali ed by usin one or more angularlv dis osed resilient metallic plate elements I) joined at an apex. Each apex is reinforced by a rib member a straddling the apex as shown mo t clearlv in Fig. 2. Each rib member may be em edded or anchored in a structural member e or e as shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. l. a series of such are shown at different levels of the joint. with ali ned pairs of such elements defining parallelograms of s ace which are sealed against entry of the fluidv medium. Bearing plates 11 extend between the free ends of the an ular lates and have slots f therein cooperating w th pins p upon the free ends of the angular plates to effect a guid n of the latter inthe course of the movements of the structural members to vary the outline of the parallelograms of space and thus the volumetric ca acity embraced thereby. The space or spaces defined by such parallelograrns ma be fill d with a suitable material which will readilv yield to the movements of the metallic plates, such as re ili nt fabric or other fibrous or flexi le material. Thus it will readily be seen that when the sections e and 6 ex erience a re ative approa hing movement towards each other to narrow the gap therebetween, the vertical apexes of the parallelograms will travel towards each other on plates d, thereby reducing the void spaces embraced thereby and allotting more space for the accommodation of the filling medium in the gap, which otherwise would tend to be extruded therefrom.

Although the expansion joint shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated as applicable to two similar sections capable of mov ment, it mav also be ada ted to an element which is movable with respect to a fixed section.

In Fig. 3 is shown another form of realizing the present invention incorporated in a transloading device which serves to neutralize the destructive forces operating upon the ends of pavement sections by the repeated shocks imposed upon such ends. In this arrangement a transloading dowel bar It is anchored at g in the pavement section e.

The other end of the bar It is in the form of an enlarged facet-which operates as a: piston in conjunction with a chamber 7 formed in the pavement section e. It is'readily seen that a relative expanding movement between the pavement would be extruded from the joint and which is in position to be returned thereto upon the re 'turn contracting movements of the pavement sections. Thus a portion of the chamber a to the left of the piston i may be considered a chamber for excluding the sealing medium, while the portion of the chamber 1' to the right of the piston i may be considered a chamber for containing the sealing medium.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a series of transloading elements arranged along the end wall of a pavement section for the purpose of obtaining a uniform transfer of the loads on the roadway to the two juxtaposed sections. Furthermore, the volumetric spaces occasioned by the movement of the pistons or plates 2' in the chambers 7 must be apportioned suitably to the size of the gap and the extent of movements of the pavement sections to provide adequate storage for the filling medium in accordance with the movements of the sections.

Fig. 6 shows another modification of a trans-' loading arrangement in conjunction with a device for storing the filling medium for subsequent utilization by the joint. In this modification the transloading element h is an hored at Z in the pavement section e. The piston or plate member 12' is desi ned to cooperate wi h a chamber 7" extending into the gap, and this chamber is suitably anchored or embedded in the pavement section e by means of arms or plates k. Relative movement between the pavement sections controls the space occupied by the filling medium as described a ove in coniunction with the modifications illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

In order to real ze a perfectly balanced arrangement, the transloading devices may be alternated in their placement in the oppo ite pavement sections, as shown in Fig. 5. In this instance the transloading devices wh ch may be either in the form as shown in Fig. 2 or that as shown in Fig. 6, are anchored at g in both the pavement sect ons 6 and e, and the chambers i are likewise alternately arranged in the pavement sections 6 and c for cooperation with the pistons or plate member 1' on the respective dowel bars.

In Figs. 7 to 9 is shown another form of realizing the present invention. This assembly consists in forming chambers in the opposite walls'of the movable structural sect ons which are designed to cooperate with plate members or piston elements connected to the end walls of the sections. The unit shown in these figures represents a chamber B which is designed to be formed in the right end wall of an expansion joint and which wall has operatively connected thereto by means of bridging arms M, a piston element or plate member C for cooperation with a chamber D formed in the opposite wall. This chamber D is adapted to be formed in the end wall of the left section of the expansion joint, and has operative- 1y connected thereto, through connecting arms M, a piston-like element A designed to cooperate with space B. The assembly of the abovedescribed elements for mutual cooperation is illustrated in Fig. 9. The placement of this assembly in concrete sections 6 and e is illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8. and by .an examination of these figures it is readily seen that as the pavement section e moves to the right by the'expansion thereof, piston A moves with section e to enter chamber B within the pavement section e. If 2' experiences a like expanding movement, it'moves to the left and takes therewith piston C which enters chamber D in the pavement section 0.

The placement of the sealing medium a for the positioning of the parts under different operating conditions is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The space N for accommodating the plastic filler is small when the gap between the pavement sections, as a result of their contractions, is large, as shown in Fig. 7. When the pavement sections approach towards each other, the space N becomes larger to accommodate the filler body which would otherwise be extruded from the joint, as shown in Fig. 8. In the last-mentioned view may be seen the nesting of piston C in chamber D and piston A in chamber B, giving rise to the enlarged space N, into which may be forced the sealing medium for storage while the movable sections e and 6' remain in the position shown in Fig. 8. Upon their partial or complete contraction the pistons A and C reenter the gap between the pavement sections and force the material from the space N into the gap to maintain it completely filled for all positions assumed by e and e'.

The chambers B and D and the respective cooperating pistons A and C may extend for only short lengths simulating the chambers shown in Fig. 4 or they may extend across substantial lengths or the complete length of the pavement roadway as indicated in Fig. 9. Of course, the arms M and M for bridging the elements 3-0 and AD, respectively, are staggered, as shown in Fig. 9 to permit the relative movement of the elements and the passage of the filling medium. This assembly functions also as a transloading device to realize the structural advantages accruing from such a unit operating in an expansion joint of a pavement.

The arrangements described above may consist of prefabricated elements which are built into the structural sections prior to or at the time of construction. The elements may be set into the structural sections or these sections may be formed about the elements. Likewise the filling material may be preformed and positioned prior to the placement of the structural elements or the filling material may be introduced subsequent to the positioning of the parts.

The features attendant the dowel bar or trans loading devices disclosed herein may be realized with or without the utilization of the features relating to the disposition and action of the filling medium.

It is understood that the present invention assures a complete filling of an expansion joint under all conditions and presents a marked improvement over the art as presently developed, which comprehends filling media of fibrous materials or semiplastic materials in addition to plastic materials capable of flowing. Sealing devices for bridging the opposing faces of the expansion joints, such as are known in the art, may be used in conjunction with the devices in accordance with the present invention. Such sealing devices may be placed upon either the upper or lower surface of the joint.

Any fibrous resilient and highly compressible material may be disposed in the spaces which are void of filling medium, as described above in conjunction with the first embodiment of the invention. Also such spaces may be left void.

The chambers formed in the structural sections may be lined in whole or in part with metallic or other suitable liners, with or without vent openings, according to the need therefor. Any expedients known in the art may be availed of to obtain smoothly operating and tight joints between the several forms of space-defining means disclosed above.

While I have describedmy invention as embodied in concrete forms and as operating in certain ways for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since various modifications will suggest themselves to those skilledin the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

What is claimed is:

i. In an expansion joint between two juxtaposed pavement sections with a gap therebetween filled with a sealing medium, a pair or space defining elements each composed of two angularly disposed resii ent plates meeting at an apex, which apex is flfl-nfid to one of the pavement sections opposite the apex of the other element affixed to the other pavement section from which apexes the resilient plates extend to approach the plates of each other element, with the ends of the opposed plates connected together to define a parallelogram of space from which said filling medium is excluded, and bearing plates for the juxtaposed ends of said elements whereby a movement of the pavement sections varies the contour of the parallelogram of space and the consequent volumetric space remaining in said gap for accommodating the sealing medium.

2. In an expansion joint between two juxtaposed pavement sections with a gap therebetween filled with a sealing medium capable of a fiowing deformation, a plurality of superposed pairs of space-defining elements mounted at common levels upon the opposite walls of said pavement sections in said gap, each of said elements formed by a pair of angularly disposed resilient metallic plates having movable ends and meeting at an apex whereat each element is anchored to its respective pavement section, bearing plates disposed between the movable ends of opposed metallic plates and bridging the space between adjacent pairs of said elements whereby the space defined by said elements may be varied in accordance with movements of said pavement sections occasioned by variations in atmospheric conditions. v

3. An expansion joint as defined in claim 2, wherein said bearing plates are fitted with slots for cooperation with-pins mounted upon the movable ends of the resilient metallic plates for guiding the movement of said plates.

ALBERT C. FISCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 20,378 Hall et al. May 25, 1937 2,085,168 Payne June 29, 1937 2,222,970 Malcom Nov. 26, 1940 2,351,255 Fischer June 13, 1944 

